U.S. patent number 9,300,162 [Application Number 14/081,705] was granted by the patent office on 2016-03-29 for wireless charging storage stand.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AUDEN TECHNO CORP.. The grantee listed for this patent is AUDEN TECHNO CORP.. Invention is credited to Peng-Hao Juan, Shih-Chi Lai.
United States Patent |
9,300,162 |
Lai , et al. |
March 29, 2016 |
Wireless charging storage stand
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a wireless charging storage
stand comprising a body and a power control circuit. The body has a
plurality of containing portions. Each containing portion comprises
a wireless charging unit, a wireless charging indication unit and a
sensing circuit. The wireless charging unit is coupled to the
wireless charging indication unit. The containing portion is for
accommodating an electronic device with wireless charging
capability which is charged by the wireless charging unit. The
wireless charging indication unit generates a charging indication
signal according to the charging status of the wireless charging
unit. The power control circuit is disposed in the body and the
power control circuit is coupled to the plurality of wireless
charging units and the plurality of wireless charging indication
units. The power control circuit provides electric power to the
plurality of wireless charging units and the plurality of wireless
charging indication units.
Inventors: |
Lai; Shih-Chi (Miaoli County,
TW), Juan; Peng-Hao (Taipei City, TW) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AUDEN TECHNO CORP. |
Taoyuan County |
N/A |
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
AUDEN TECHNO CORP. (Taoyuan,
TW)
|
Family
ID: |
53172631 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/081,705 |
Filed: |
November 15, 2013 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20150137732 A1 |
May 21, 2015 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J
50/10 (20160201); H02J 50/12 (20160201); H02J
50/70 (20160201); H02J 50/80 (20160201); H02J
7/35 (20130101); H02J 7/025 (20130101); H02J
50/40 (20160201); H02J 7/0047 (20130101); H02J
7/0021 (20130101); H02J 7/0027 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H02J
7/00 (20060101); H02J 7/02 (20060101); H02J
7/35 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;320/107-108,110-115 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dinh; Paul
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Li & Cai Intellectual Property
(USA) Office
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A wireless charging storage stand, comprising: a body, having a
plurality of containing portions, each containing portion
comprising a wireless charging unit, a wireless charging indication
unit and a sensing circuit, the wireless charging unit coupled to
the wireless charging indication unit, wherein the containing
portion is for accommodating an electronic device with wireless
charging capability, the sensing circuit senses a sensing signal
generated by the electronic device with wireless charging
capability, the electronic device with wireless charging capability
is charged by the wireless charging unit, the wireless charging
indication unit generates a charging indication signal according to
the charging status of the wireless charging unit; and a power
control circuit, disposed in the body, coupled to the plurality of
wireless charging units, the plurality of wireless charging
indication units and the plurality of sensing circuits, for
providing electric power to the plurality of wireless charging
units and the plurality of wireless charging indication units, and
receiving the sensing signals from the plurality of sensing
circuits.
2. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the wireless charging indication unit generates a charge
completion signal when the electronic device with wireless charging
capability is fully charged by the wireless charging unit.
3. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the wireless charging indication unit has a speaker, the
speaker produces sound when the electronic device with wireless
charging capability is fully charged by the wireless charging
unit.
4. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the wireless charging indication unit is a display.
5. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein wireless charging indication unit comprises at least a
light emitting element.
6. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the power control circuit is for connecting to an exterior
power source.
7. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein power control circuit comprises a power module and a signal
controlling module, the signal controlling module is coupled to the
plurality of sensing circuit, the signal controlling module
controls the power module according to the sensing signals of the
plurality of sensing circuits.
8. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
further comprising: a solar charging module, disposed on the
surface of the body, coupled to the power control circuit, for
providing electric power to the power control circuit.
9. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the containing portion further comprises: an
electromagnetic shielding, the wireless charging unit disposed in
the electromagnetic shielding, wherein electromagnetic shielding is
for accommodating the electronic device with wireless charging
capability.
10. The wireless charging storage stand according to claim 1,
wherein the wireless charging unit is a magnetic inductive charging
unit or a magnetic resonance charging unit.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a storage stand; in particular,
to a wireless charging storage stand.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing article storage stand (or rack), such as the toy storage
stand, only provides article storage function. No matter what types
of the articles are, the user could utilize a storage stand with an
appropriate size corresponding to the size of each article to store
the article. Existing article storage stand only provides the
function of storage or the function of storing in categories.
Due to diversity of the present electronic devices, small
electronic equipment such as electronic toys, handheld electronic
game consoles, mobile phones or tablet computers have been in
common use for everyday life. Each electronic device needs
electricity, thus the electronic devices may incorporated with
batteries for convenience. Meanwhile, the batteries may be
secondary batteries, thus when the batteries are out of
electricity, the batteries could be recharged in order to make the
electronic devices use the batteries to operate again. However, the
user demands for storing the electronic devices in categories,
placing the electronic devices on display and charging process of
the electronic devices may not the same. The user usually needs to
charge each electronic device independently and check the charging
status of each electronic device, thus it is inconvenient for the
user to manage all of the electronic devices. Especially for the
users which are children, the children usually may not have
sufficient knowledge of the electronic devices (for example, the
electronic toys) for using the electronic devices. The children may
place the electronic devices as their pleases without remembering
to charge the electronic devices. When the children want to use the
electronic devices again, they may not easy to find out the
electronic devices. Or, the children may forget to charge the
electronic devices in advance until they want to use the electronic
devices again.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the instant disclosure is to provide a wireless
charging storage stand which accommodates a plurality of electronic
devices with wireless charging capability by using a plurality of
containing portions. The wireless charging storage stand charges
the plurality of electronic devices with wireless charging
capability at the same time. Each containing portion displays a
charging indication signal representing the charging status.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to an
embodiment of the instant disclosure, a wireless charging storage
stand is offered. The wireless charging storage stand comprises a
body and a power control circuit. The body has a plurality of
containing portions. Each containing portion comprises a wireless
charging unit, a wireless charging indication unit and a sensing
circuit. The wireless charging unit is coupled to the wireless
charging indication unit. The containing portion is for
accommodating an electronic device with wireless charging
capability. The sensing circuit senses a sensing signal generated
by the electronic device with wireless charging capability. The
electronic device with wireless charging capability is charged by
the wireless charging unit. The wireless charging indication unit
generates a charging indication signal according to the charging
status of the wireless charging unit. The power control circuit is
disposed in the body, and is coupled to the plurality of wireless
charging units, the plurality of wireless charging indication units
and the plurality of sensing circuits, for providing electric power
to the plurality of wireless charging units and the plurality of
wireless charging indication units, and receiving the sensing
signals from the plurality of sensing circuits.
In summary, the wireless charging storage stand accommodates a
plurality of electronic devices with wireless charging capability
and charges the plurality of electronic devices with wireless
charging capability at the same time. When the electronic device
with wireless charging capability is fully charged, the user could
know the charging for the electronic device with wireless charging
capability is completed through the charge completion signal. The
user could get into the habit of putting the electronic device back
where the electronic device was stored for charging the electronic
device after using the electronic device. Meanwhile, the charging
process could be automatically completed without any manual
settings.
In order to further the understanding regarding the instant
disclosure, the following embodiments are provided along with
illustrations to facilitate the disclosure of the instant
disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of a wireless charging storage
stand according to an embodiment of the instant disclosure;
FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of a wireless charging storage stand
according to an embodiment of the instant disclosure;
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless charging storage
stand according to another embodiment of the instant disclosure;
and
FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless charging storage
stand according to another embodiment of the instant
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed
descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining
the scope of the instant disclosure. Other objectives and
advantages related to the instant disclosure will be illustrated in
the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.
[An Embodiment of the Wireless Charging Storage Stand]
Please refer to FIG. 1A in conjunction with FIG. 1B, FIG. 1A shows
a schematic diagram of a wireless charging storage stand according
to an embodiment of the instant disclosure, and FIG. 1B shows a
block diagram of a wireless charging storage stand according to an
embodiment of the instant disclosure. The wireless charging storage
stand 1 is for storing a plurality of electronic devices with
wireless charging capability 2. The wireless charging storage stand
1 comprises a body 10 and a power control circuit 11. The body 10
has a plurality of containing portions 101. Each containing portion
101 is for accommodating an electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2. Each containing portion 101 comprises a
wireless charging unit 1011, a wireless charging indication unit
1012 and a sensing circuit 1013 (not shown in FIG. 1A). The power
control circuit 11 (not shown in FIG. 1A) is disposed in the body
10. The power control circuit 11 comprises a power module 111 and a
signal controlling module 112.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the body 10 may be in a bookshelf form, a
bookcase form or other kinds of storage stand (or rack) as long as
the body 10 has a plurality of containing portions 101. However,
the shape of the body 10 is not restricted thereto. The containing
portions 101 may be the open type or the closed type. For example,
the three containing portions 101 on the top of the body 10 shown
in FIG. 1A are the open type. Meanwhile, each of the else
containing portions 101 of the body 10 shown in FIG. 1A has an
opening just in one lateral side of the containing portion 101;
meanwhile, other sides are closed. Besides, the lateral opening of
the containing portion 101 may configured with a door (not shown in
FIG. 1A), in order to make the containing portion 101 be a closed
structure. The containing portion 101 may be arranged on the body
10 in any order. The user could put the electronic devices with
wireless charging capability 2 into the containing portions 101
conveniently. Meanwhile, the user could also take the electronic
devices with wireless charging capability 2 from the containing
portions 101 conveniently.
In this embodiment, the electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 may be any electronic toy, and the electronic toy has
a secondary battery and a wireless charging module. The secondary
battery could be charged through the wireless charging module. For
example, the wireless charging module of the electronic toy may be
the magnetic inductive charging module or the magnetic resonance
charging module. However, it is not intended to limit the scope of
the present disclosure. The electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2 may also be the small electronic equipment,
such as a handheld electronic game console, a mobile phones or a
tablet computer.
Please refer to FIG. 1B again. The power module 111 is for
providing electricity to the plurality of wireless charging units
1011 and the plurality of wireless charging indication units 1012.
The wireless charging unit 1011 of each containing portion 101 is
coupled to a wireless charging indication units 1012. The power
module 111 of the power control circuit 11 is coupled to the
plurality of wireless charging units 1011 and the plurality of. The
signal controlling module 112 of the power control circuit 11 is
coupled to the plurality of sensing circuits 1013. When the
electronic device with wireless charging capability 2 (or so called
the wireless charging under test) is displaced into the containing
portion 101, and the sensing circuit 1013 senses the electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2 through generating a
wireless signal (the sensing circuit 1013 senses a sensing signal
of the electronic device with wireless charging capability 2), the
sensing circuit 1013 feedbacks the sensing signal to the signal
controlling module 112. Then, the signal controlling module 112
sends a command to the power module 11 for transmitting electricity
to the wireless charging unit 1011 for wireless charging of the
electronic device with wireless charging capability 2. The wireless
charging indication unit 1012 provides information to the user to
know whether the charging process is completed or not. Besides, the
position of the sensing circuit 1013 can be determined arbitrarily
in the containing portion 101 as needed in practical applications.
The sensing circuit 1013 could be any device or element, such as a
sensing coil (or antenna), or a light sensor, for sensing the
electronic device with wireless charging capability 2.
In other words, the signal controlling module 112 controls the
power module 111 according to the sensing signal (feedback signal)
of the sensing circuit 1013, thus the power module 111 provides
electricity to the wireless charging unit 1011. The electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2 is charged through the
wireless charging unit 1011. The wireless charging indication unit
1012 generates a charging indication signal according to the
charging status of the wireless charging unit 1011. When the
wireless charging unit 1011 charges the electronic device with
wireless charging capability 2, the wireless charging indication
unit 1012 may generate the charging indication signal. Meanwhile,
the sensing circuit 1013 in each containing portion 101 could
determine whether to provide electricity to the wireless charging
unit 1011, in order to avoid unnecessary waste of electricity.
The power control circuit 11 comprises a voltage converter, and the
voltage converter may be a boost converter or a buck converter. The
power control circuit 11 may be connected to an exterior power
source (e.g. household electricity), or the power control circuit
11 could comprise a secondary battery for storing electricity. In
other words, the power control circuit 11 receives exterior
electricity and also stores the received electricity.
More specifically, the wireless charging unit 1011 has a coil (or
any other element could generates electromagnetic field) and a
charging control circuit. The charging control circuit provides
electricity to the coil for generating the electromagnetic field
which is used for charging. When the electronic device with
wireless charging capability 2 is placed in the containing portion
101, the wireless charging indication unit 1011 of the containing
portion 101 utilizes the coil to provide electricity which is form
the power control circuit 11 to the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2. In this embodiment, the wireless charging
unit 1011 is a magnetic inductive charging unit or a magnetic
resonance charging unit, but the present disclosure is not so
restricted. The wireless charging unit 1011 and the electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2 do not need to touch
each other.
The manner of determining the charging status of the wireless
charging unit 1011 for the wireless charging indication unit 1012
could be sensing the current in the coil of the wireless charging
unit 1011. Alternatively, the charging control circuit of the
wireless charging unit 1011 and the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2 could transmit charging information to each
other, then the wireless charging indication unit 1012 receives the
sensing signal from the wireless charging unit 1011. The instant
disclosure does not restrict the wireless charging unit 1011 need
to receive the signal from the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2. The instant disclosure does not restrict the
manner of determining the charging status of the wireless charging
unit 1011 for the wireless charging indication unit 1012.
The charging indication signal generated by the wireless charging
indication unit 1012 may be, for example, a light signal or a sound
signal, but the instant disclosure is not so restricted. Besides,
when the electronic device with wireless charging capability 2 is
fully charged, the wireless charging indication unit 1012 generates
a charging completion signal to prompt the user. For example, the
children could identify whether the electronic toy is fully charged
through observing the light signal or the sound signal representing
the fully charged information.
[Another Embodiment of the Wireless Charging Storage Stand]
Please refer to FIG. 1A in conjunction with FIG. 1B and FIG. 2,
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless charging storage
stand according to another embodiment of the instant disclosure.
The wireless charging storage stand 3 is used for accommodating a
plurality of electronic devices with wireless charging capability
2. The wireless charging storage stand 3 comprises a body 30 and a
power control circuit (which is the same as the power control
circuit 11 shown in FIG. 1B; not shown in FIG. 2). The body 30 has
a plurality of containing portions 301a, 301b. Each containing
portion 301a (or 301b) is for accommodating one or a plurality of
electronic devices with wireless charging capability 2. Each
containing portion 301a (or 301b) comprises a wireless charging
unit 3011, a wireless charging indication unit 3012, a sensing
circuit (i.e. the sensing circuit 1013 shown in FIG. 1B; not shown
in FIG. 2) and an electromagnetic shielding 3013. The size of each
containing portion 301a (or 301b) may not the same.
The wireless charging storage stand 3 is significantly identical to
the wireless charging storage stand 1 shown in FIG. 1 except for
the arrangement order, the size and the structure of the containing
portion 301a (or 301b), and the electromagnetic shielding 3013. The
wireless charging unit 3011 is disposed in the electromagnetic
shielding 3013. The electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 is for being disposed in the electromagnetic shielding
3013. Usually, during the process of wireless charging, the
electromagnetic field generating by wireless charging could extend
to surroundings of the wireless charging unit 3011. The energy of
the wireless charging unit 3011 could leaks out of the
corresponding containing portion 301a (or 301b), thus the charging
efficiency could be lowered. Meanwhile, other electronic devices
outside of the corresponding containing portion 301b (or 301b) may
be interfered. The electromagnetic shielding 3013 confines the
electromagnetic field generated during the wireless charging
process to the corresponding containing portion 301a (or 301b).
Thus, the wireless charging indication unit 3011 only charges the
electronic device with wireless charging capability 2 stored in the
corresponding containing portion 301a (or 301b), and electronic
devices outside of the containing portion 301a (or 301b) would not
be affected. Thus, the charging efficiency and the safety could be
improved. The shape of the electromagnetic shielding 3013 could be
designed according the containing portion 301a (or 301b), as long
as the electromagnetic shielding 3013 is sufficient to accommodate
the electronic device with wireless charging capability 2.
Alternatively, the electromagnetic shielding 3013 may be
semi-closed, the electromagnetic shielding 3013 only has an opening
corresponding to the opening of the containing portion 301a (or
301b). When the containing portion 301a (or 301b) is a totally
enclosed structure (for example, the containing portion 301a (or
301b) has a door which can be closed), the electromagnetic
shielding 3013 may also be designed to be totally enclosed. For
example, as shown in FIG. 2, one containing portion 301b has a
cover 3014 (which is a closed door of the containing portion 301b)
in order to totally enclose the containing portion 301b. Meanwhile,
the wireless charging indication unit 3012 could be designed on the
cover 3014. The cover 3014 could be a part of the electromagnetic
shielding, in which the electromagnetic shielding 3013' is totally
enclosed. The added cover 3014 could avoid leakage of energy for
improving the charging efficiency and the electromagnetic
safety.
This embodiment further describes the wireless charging indication
unit 3012. The wireless charging indication unit 3012 could be a
display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an electronic
paper. The charging indication signal could be displayed by the
display, thus the user could watch the charging status. The
wireless charging indication unit 3012 may comprise at least one
light emitting element 3012a, 3012b and a speaker 3012c, as shown
in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the light emitting element 3012a of
the wireless charging indication unit 3012 is used for indicating
that the wireless charging unit 3011 is charging the electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2, and the light emitting
element 3012 may display red light. The light emitting element
3012b of the wireless charging indication unit 3012 is used for
indicating that the electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 has been fully charged by the wireless charging unit
3011, and the light emitting element 3012 may display green light.
When the user discovers that the wireless charging indication unit
3012 of the corresponding containing portion 301a (or 301b) is
displaying red light, it means the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2 in the corresponding containing portion 301a
(or 301b) is being charged. When the user discovers that the
wireless charging indication unit 3012 of the corresponding
containing portion 301a (or 301b) is displaying green light, the
user could take the electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 out of the corresponding containing portion 301a (or
301b) for using.
Additionally, the speaker 3012c could send a first sound (or music)
when the wireless charging unit 3011 is charging the electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2. And, the speaker 3012c
could send a second sound (or music) when the electronic device
with wireless charging capability is fully charged. Thus, the user
could identify the charging status according to sense of
hearing.
When the user is a child, by watching the light signal representing
fully charged (e.g. green light) or hearing the sound of the
speaker 3012c, the child could easily know when the electronic
device with wireless charging capability 2 could be used again.
When the electricity of the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2 is exhausted or the child does not want to
use the electronic device with wireless charging capability 2, the
child could place the electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 into the containing portion (301a or 301b) of the
wireless charging storage stand 3, for getting into the habit of
putting the electronic device 2 back where the electronic device 2
was stored. The children could easily to develop the habit of
usage, because when the children do not place the electronic device
with wireless charging capability 2 into the containing portion
301a (or 301b) after using the electronic device with wireless
charging capability 2, the electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2 may not have enough electricity to operate in the next
time when the children want to use it. When the electronic devices
with wireless charging capability 2 are toys, the children could
watch the containing portions 301a, 301b of the wireless charging
storage stand 3 in order to identify which containing portion 301a
(or 301b) is emitting light signal representing fully charged
status. Then, the children could take the toy out from the
corresponding containing portion 301a (or 301b) for playing. The
wireless charging storage stand 3 provides a mechanism for
automatically charging and displaying the charging status, thus the
children could develop the habit of storage articles when using the
toys.
[Another Embodiment of the Wireless Charging Storage Stand]
Please refer to FIG. 3 showing a schematic diagram of a wireless
charging storage stand according to another embodiment of the
instant disclosure. The wireless charging storage stand 4 is for
accommodating a plurality of electronic devices with wireless
charging capability 2. The wireless charging storage stand 4
comprises a body 40, a solar charging module 42 and a power control
circuit (which is the same as the power control circuit 11 shown in
FIG. 1B; not shown in FIG. 3). The body 40 has a plurality of
containing portion 401. Each containing portion 401 is for
accommodating one electronic device with wireless charging
capability 2. Each containing portion 401 comprises a wireless
charging unit 4011, a wireless charging indication unit 4012 and a
sensing circuit (i.e. the sensing circuit 1013 shown in FIG. 1B;
not shown in FIG. 2).
The wireless charging storage stand 4 is significantly identical to
the wireless charging storage stand 1 shown in FIG. 1 except for
the solar charging module 42 and difference positions of the
wireless charging indication units 4012. The wireless charging
indication unit 4012 may be disposed on one opening of the
containing portion 401 or on one side of the containing portion
401. The instant disclosure does not restrict the appearance and
the structure of the wireless charging indication unit 4012.
The wireless charging storage stand 4 of this embodiment could be
placed to outdoors. Usually, it is not convenient to obtain
electricity at outdoors. The wireless charging storage stand 4
harvests solar energy and converts solar energy to electricity,
thus the user does not need to worry about the power source of the
power control circuit. The solar charging module 42 is disposed on
the surface of the body, and the solar charging module 42 is
coupled to the power control circuit for providing electricity to
the power control circuit. Meanwhile, the power control circuit
includes a secondary battery for being charged by the solar
charging module 42.
According to above descriptions, the wireless charging storage
stand accommodates a plurality of electronic devices with wireless
charging capability and charges the plurality of electronic devices
with wireless charging capability at the same time. When the
electronic device with wireless charging capability is fully
charged, the user could know the charging for the electronic device
with wireless charging capability is completed through the charge
completion signal. The user could get into the habit of putting the
electronic device back where the electronic device was stored for
charging the electronic device after using the electronic device.
Meanwhile, the charging process could be automatically completed
without any manual settings. Especially when the electronic device
with wireless charging capability is a toy, the child using the toy
does not need to know how to charge the toy. The child only needs
to put the toy into the containing portion, and watches the light
or hears the sound to observe when the toy is fully charged.
Accordingly, the convenience of using the toy(s) could be improved,
and the child could get into the habit of putting the toy (or
article) back where the toy was stored after using the toy. In
other words, the user could get into the habit of putting the
electronic device back where the electronic device was stored for
charging the electronic device after using the electronic device;
meanwhile, the charging process could be automatically completed
without any manual settings.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred
embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics
of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All
changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by
those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the
scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following
claims.
* * * * *